Some of the licensed hunting is done to control numbers to help the local environment and other species. That may be the case here. Neither species is desperately endangered iirc. Getting dumb foreigners to pay for your cull makes good financial sense.

It's their choice, I wouldn't but it is up to them. Some people ride singlespeed ffs!

@redsox: This is for 'sport', killing for the sake of killing. I doubt they'll be eating the lion or elephant

As someone posted on the petition link...
“Hunting is not a sport. In a sport, both sides should know they're in the game.”

And this type of shooting is not even hunting. The trackers take the wannabe Great White Hunter to where they know the animal will be .. there is no field craft of stalking skill involved.
Rather pathetic really.

Generally, hunting like this brings far, far more benefit to both local communities and wildlife than national parks or safari tourism, and a sustainable culling regime brings huge amounts of foreign cash into rural communities, meaning that poaching has reduced and the animals become protected as a community resource rather than eradicated as a pest.

If only people that complained were consistent with their animals welfare stance. Why aren't they also complaining about Halal and Kosher meats (i.e. meats not stunned before slaughter) not having to be labelled as such, and consequently some meat product we buy has those parts of the animals that Jews and Muslims are not allowed to eat in, hence we are either unwittingly or unwillingly supporting animal cruelty.

It's an unfortunate fact of life, that often, to protect something, one must monetise it. And of course managing livestock involves selective culling. Which is why the World Wildlife Fund use to be involved in elephant hunting until people who knew diddly squat about anything outside a town kicked up a stink.

Some of the licensed hunting is done to control numbers to help the local environment and other species. That may be the case here. Neither species is desperately endangered iirc. Getting dumb foreigners to pay for your cull makes good financial sense.

It's their choice, I wouldn't but it is up to them. Some people ride singlespeed ffs!

African Elephants are listed as vulnerable and people have been campaigning to list Lions as endangered for years (they are endangered but we wouldn't want that getting in the way of a hunt would we?)

There is also loads of evidence that the money payed for hunt permits does nothing for the habitats or population of the animals killed. But keep believing that BS if you makes you feel better. Oh and BTW those Japanese Whalers aren't killing whales for 'whale research' either.

There's a reason why she appears in bikini tops and skimpy vests, posing with big guns and dead stuff. There's a target audience of a few million male redneck yanks who'll have a hard on over that pic, it's a whole different world. To them she's the Fred Dibnah of hunting.

If only people that complained were consistent with their animals welfare stance. Why aren't they also complaining about Halal and Kosher meats (i.e. meats not stunned before slaughter) not having to be labelled as such, and consequently some meat product we buy has those parts of the animals that Jews and Muslims are not allowed to eat in, hence we are either unwittingly or unwillingly supporting animal cruelty.
It's an unfortunate fact of life, that often, to protect something, one must monetise it. And of course managing livestock involves selective culling. Which is why the World Wildlife Fund use to be involved in elephant hunting until people who knew diddly squat about anything outside a town kicked up a stink.

MoreCashThanDash » Some of the licensed hunting is done to control numbers to help the local environment and other species. That may be the case here. Neither species is desperately endangered iirc. Getting dumb foreigners to pay for your cull makes good financial sense.
It's their choice, I wouldn't but it is up to them. Some people ride singlespeed ffs!

Exactly the same as deer hunting in Scotland. I wouldn't want to do it but numbers need to be controlled and if an estate can get someone to pay to do it rather than pay someone to do it, better for them.

Exactly the same as deer hunting in Scotland.Exactly the same as deer hunting in Scotland. I wouldn't want to do it but numbers need to be controlled and if an estate can get someone to pay to do it rather than pay someone to do it, better for them

If it's not on the endangered list, and you kill it for the express purpose of eating it or for pest control - I'm probably ok with that. Rough-shooting to put something in the pot is just a new way of doing a very old thing. In this day and age, deer still fall into that category - lions and elephants generally don't.

Trophy-killing for "sport", on the other hand, is repulsive. IMO, of course.

Elephant numbers in Africa are plummeting and are predicted to be close to extinction in 20 years if their rate of decline continues. Poaching is the main culprit as it's rampant at the moment. The main problem is all the big jumbos are being killed first resulting in smaller, younger and less experienced herds which are more susceptible to further poaching and decline from natural causes which experienced Matriarchs could help avoid.

Big game hunting of such fantastic specimens depletes the gene pool of a rapidly declining species compounding the problem.

Big game hunting of such fantastic specimens depletes the gene pool of a rapidly declining species

Alternatively, removing a dominant male who has led a group for some time and produced numerous offspring can serve to widen the gene pool where land pressure and group isolation has prevented this happening naturally.

Poaching is the main culprit as it's rampant at the moment.

The poaching is getting worse again in Africa, both due to the endemic african disease of corruption, and also there has been a lot of new investment recently from China so a far bigger demand and more smuggling opportunities for Rhino horn etc. - so the hunting can put money into anti poachng effort and anti poaching patrols but also, as mentioned above, monetarising the resource increases the value of retaining them to local communities and deters the the poachers.

you kill it for the express purpose of eating it or for pest control

You say that as if 'trophy' hunting can only be the opposite of the above rather than a mutually beneficial side effect.

The ideal African hunting conservation 'model' - eg. campfire - is that if someone is prepared to pay say $50,000 to shoot ONE prime bull elephant, than that money can be used to finance either an anti-poaching team of local people for a year or to fund local communities in other ways such as schooling and healthcare. So the conservation of the species is served by taking out the odd 'cull' animal for a high fee.

There are also many reserves, where specific species need to be managed actively as there may be problems with Apex predators, 'man eaters' for example, plus in farming area's crop protection may also be a good reason to hunt African game - I've heard tales of some clients being on a '24 hour notice' to fly anywhere to get a trophy when the opportunity comes to bag a problem animal.

Admittedly than there is the so-called 'canned hunting', where for example Lions in a relatively small fenced enclosure are basicly 'farmed' so rich hunting tourists can than, for a high fee, shoot a cornered lion in semi-natural conditions - However Its pointless to lump that together in with the valued and worthwhile ways that it can be done, as its not comparing like with like.

You say that as if 'trophy' hunting can only be the opposite of the above rather than a mutually beneficial side effect...its not comparing like with like

I'm not claiming that the two are always mutually-exclusive... but, in my personal opinion, paying "good money" to shoot a prime bull elephant is an activity carried out by pathetic twonks. Really, what does it prove?

As for how things are unfolding in Africa, I doubt that ideal hunting/conservation schemes are going to be enough to save the species involved. It's window-dressing.

Good. I hope someone burns down their house with them inside it, you know killing for fun like. As for the TV "personality", one can only hope there will be a vicious backlash and she will lose her career. Being the USA, it is unlikely that this will happen.